Introduction
This is a wonderful opportunity for India. The World Craft City Programme is not simply about winning a title; it can help a city position its traditional crafts within the global cultural, tourism and creative economy.
India already has an extraordinary foundation. The World Crafts Council’s Asia-Pacific listing includes Jaipur, Mamallapuram, Mysore and Srinagar among India’s recognised World Craft Cities. Mamallapuram is recognised for stone carving, while Srinagar’s craft ecosystem includes traditions such as papier-mâché, walnut wood carving, carpets, Sozni embroidery, Pashmina and Kani shawls.
But I believe India should be far more ambitious.
Our country has dozens of cities and craft clusters with the depth, living artisan communities and cultural ecosystems that could potentially aspire to international recognition.
Imagine positioning:
Kanchipuram for its extraordinary silk-weaving heritage.
Varanasi for its Banarasi weaving and brocade traditions.
Moradabad for its metal craft.
Saharanpur for wood carving.
Sanganer for hand block printing.
Pochampally for Ikat weaving.
Channapatna for its traditional lacquered wooden toys.
Kutch for its extraordinary embroidery, weaving, Ajrakh and other craft traditions.
Kashmir’s craft communities for their remarkable concentration of textile, wood and papier-mâché traditions.
These are not merely products.
They represent generations of accumulated knowledge—materials, techniques, motifs, tools, apprenticeship systems, community traditions and local economies.
And this is where the World Craft City concept becomes particularly important.
The opportunity for India
A successful World Craft City strategy could connect craft preservation + cultural tourism + artisan livelihoods + design innovation + international markets + education.
Imagine a traveller visiting Varanasi not merely to see the Ganga and Kashi Vishwanath, but also to enter a weaving neighbourhood, meet master weavers, understand how a Banarasi brocade is created and perhaps learn the difference between different weaving techniques.
Imagine Kanchipuram becoming a global destination where visitors can experience the entire ecosystem surrounding the silk saree.
Imagine Kutch developing immersive craft trails linking villages, artisans, museums, workshops, design studios and local cuisine.
That is the future of heritage tourism I would love to see in India.
The most important point, however, is that recognition should benefit the artisan first.
A title has little meaning if the master craftsperson remains economically vulnerable, if young people abandon the craft, or if visitors simply buy mass-produced imitations.
The real measure of success should be:
Are more young people choosing to become artisans?
Are artisan incomes rising?
Are traditional skills being documented and taught?
Are authentic crafts reaching global markets?
Are visitors spending more time in craft communities?
Are women and rural communities benefiting?
India has an extraordinary opportunity to turn its craft geography into a network of living cultural destinations.
We should not wait for the world to discover India’s craft cities.
We should tell their stories to the world—and build the ecosystems that allow those stories to survive. 🇮🇳🧵
World Crafts Council – World Craft City Programme